Department for Transport

Swindon Station

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of Swindon rail station.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State has made no recent assessment of the capacity of Swindon station.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what timescale the Department has set to sell the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency testing centre in Shrewsbury.

Jesse Norman: The Department has not set a timescale to sell the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency testing centre in Shrewsbury.

Transport: Capital Investment

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of public spending per capita on transport infrastructure in (a) Tyne and Wear, (b) the North East, (c) London and (d) the South East.

Jesse Norman: Figures on public sector spend per head of population at a regional level are part of the government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics. However, there are significant caveats around the interpretation of these figures for transport spending. The CRA attempts to allocate expenditure on the basis of which region benefits from the spend, rather than where it is made. However, this can be challenging as expenditure in one part of the country may actually benefit a different area, and this is particularly a problem for spending on the motorway, trunk roads, and the railway. For example, whilst spending on a local hospital is likely to predominantly benefit those who live in that area, spending on a motorway or railway line will benefit not just those living nearby but also those travelling from and to other areas across the country. Whilst the Department does try to record rail funding across the regions based on which passengers benefit, allocations are inevitably fairly imprecise. In terms of the calculation of this regional spending on a per capita basis (i.e. per head of resident population), the calculation for London doesn’t account for the substantial number of daily commuters and visitors, both domestically and internationally, who will be using and benefitting from the roads and public transport networks but who aren’t London residents. In particular, as the main international gateway into the country, London will be the location for transport investments which look to serve passengers well beyond the local resident population. The above caveats should be taken into account when looking at the CRA figures for regional Government expenditure on transport. The figures for 2015-16 relating to locations (b), (c) and (d) from the above request are shown in the table below. This information is published for government office regions only, and therefore is unavailable for (a) Tyne & Wear. Table 1. Government expenditure on transport per head of population by region Total transport spend per capitaNorth East£299London£973South East£365 Source:HM Treasury Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) 2016

Driving: Licensing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long the process takes for customers re-applying for a driving licence following a temporary removal due to a medical condition; and whether he has set a standard response time for that process.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) deals with around 700,000 medical cases each year. The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition and whether further information is required from medical professionals. In the last financial year, on average it took 37 working days to make a licensing decision. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to complete 90% of medical cases within 90 working days.

Tyne and Wear Metro

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department plans to make available to support the improvement and expansion of the Tyne and Wear Metro after the current funding arrangement ends in 2021.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is currently in discussions with Nexus about funding options for the renewal of the Metro fleet. These discussions include consideration of revenue and capital support for the existing network beyond the current funding arrangement. The Department is also aware that Nexus has identified several possible extensions to the Metro. It will be up to Nexus to develop a business case for any such investment. All funding will be subject to normal tests of affordability and value for money.

Highways England: Litter

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of Highway England's performance in fulfilling its legal duty to keep its land clean and free from litter.

Jesse Norman: Litter collection by Highways England is one of many important road safety duties that they carry out on the motorways and the small number of A-roads they are responsible for.Highways England’s Litter Strategy sets out how they will work effectively with Local Authorities to remove litter and deliver a cleaner and safer network.Measures have been put in place to target the 25 worst spots for littering on the network. Since March 2017 Highways England have removed 6,684 sacks of litter from these 25 hotspots. Their work to date has seen a significant reduction in complaints about roadside litter.However, there is more to do and the Department is working closely with Highways England to remove litter from the roads they manage and support the first ever Government National Litter Strategy for England, which was published in April.

London Zoo: Parking

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) HS2 Ltd and (b) the Zoological Society of London on the proposal to use London Zoo's car park as a lorry park for heavy goods vehicles.

Paul Maynard: The High Speed Rail (London to West Midland) Act 2017, as approved by Parliament, includes the provision of a lorry holding area (LHA) on the southern part of London Zoo’s cark park. The LHA is required for traffic management purposes to regulate the flow of construction traffic to the HS2 Euston construction worksite. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Andrew Jones MP), met with representatives of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in April 2017, where they presented updated proposals for the relocation the LHA. Following the meeting, the Minister commissioned HS2 Ltd to undertake a study to consider ZSL’s proposals. The outcomes of this study, which are expected shortly, will be shared with ZSL.

London Zoo: Parking

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposal by HS2 Ltd to use the Zoological Society of London's car park on the safety of schoolchildren and others visiting London zoo.

Paul Maynard: The High Speed Rail (London to West Midland) Act 2017, as approved by Parliament, includes the provision of a lorry holding area (LHA) on the southern part of London Zoo’s cark park. An off-street lorry holding area (LHA) is required to manage the impacts of HS2 construction traffic on the central London highways. The provision of an LHA is recommended by Transport for London and considered essential to enable effective traffic management in a built up area such as Euston. In considering locations for an LHA, HS2 Ltd undertook a sift process where alternative locations were examined for the LHA. None of the alternatives were deemed preferable to the London Zoo car park, as they were either further away from Euston or would have had greater environmental or local community impacts, including in relation to school children and other pedestrians. The safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users is integral to the HS2 traffic management plans that will be implemented upon the establishment of such sites. The LHA at ZSL is designed so that will be segregated from the remaining car park with secure hoarding. In addition, a new access will be provided for construction traffic, to prevent the interaction of construction vehicles and vehicles transporting visitors to the zoo via the existing car park entrance. A new pedestrian crossing will also be provided.

Driving: Licensing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken has been for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to process a re-application for a driving licence which has been suspended on medical grounds in each of the last seven years.

Jesse Norman: Specific information on the time taken to process an application where a licence has been suspended on medical grounds is not readily available. A dedicated team has been put in place which is responsible for continuous improvement of medical driver licensing services and communications. Letters to customers and medical professionals have been improved, helping to ensure that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency receives the information it needs as quickly as possible.

A14: Safety

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the A14 will remain safe for driving until its rebuild in 2020.

Jesse Norman: Highways England continue to carry out all routine maintenance duties on the A14 through their service provider to ensure that this strategically important route remains in a safe and serviceable condition. This includes undertaking routine weekly safety inspections to identify, prioritise and address any defects found.Where work on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement scheme is being carried out close to the existing carriageway, Highways England has implemented narrow lanes and speed restrictions to protect drivers as works progress. Along this section of the route CCTV continuously monitors traffic and a free recovery service is provided to road users who need assistance.

Euston Station: Passengers

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure that Euston Station can cope with the additional volume of passengers expected as a result of High Speed 2.

Paul Maynard: The new Euston station will be an interchange fit for the 21st century and designed to handle the ever increasing demands on our rail network. To ensure the expanded Euston station is able to manage the additional passengers, we will be upgrading the existing underground interchange. There will be new direct access between high speed rail platforms and the Underground, new circulation areas to relieve overcrowding, new routes down to the Victoria and Northern Lines, new underground access to Euston Square Station (Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City Lines) and new access to the Northern line Charing Cross branch. In addition, we estimate that one third of HS2 passengers will use Old Oak Common as their connection hub rather than Euston, accessing Crossrail and Great Western Mainline services to get to central London, Heathrow and the South West.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many disabled motorists received an exemption from the vehicle excise duty in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people received an exemption from the vehicle excise duty for historic cars in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Jesse Norman: The information is not recorded in the format requested. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s vehicle records change constantly as vehicle licensing and registration transactions are processed, so that the information requested can only be provided as a snapshot at a particular time. The table below provides the number of vehicles in the historic and disabled tax classes in February 2015, 2016 and 2017: Tax ClassFeb-15Feb-16Feb-17Historic532,239570,430604,174Disabled1,345,4461,315,1031,266,523

Parking: Private Sector

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of private parking companies were fined by the DVLA for non-compliance with Keeper of a Vehicle at the Date of an Event contracts in each of the last three years.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not impose fines for non-compliance with contracts applying to Keeper at Date of Event enquiries. Private parking companies that do not comply with contractual terms can have their facility to request vehicle keeper data suspended. The table below shows the number and proportion of private parking companies suspended in each of the last three financial years: Financial YearTotal number of private parking companies with a Keeper at Date of Event contract Number of private parking companies suspended for non-compliance  Proportion of private parking companies suspended2014/15871011.5%2015/169499.6%2016/1710943.7%

Parking: Private Sector

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what monitoring procedures the DVLA has put in place to ensure that private parking companies comply with the conditions of a contract for a Keeper of a Vehicle at the Date of an Event.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the protection of the data it holds very seriously and has robust measures in place to ensure it is not misused.To help ensure motorists are treated fairly, private parking companies that request vehicle keeper data are required to be members of an appropriate accredited trade association and TO adhere to its Code of Practice. The DVLA is notified promptly of compliance issues as requiredThe DVLA carries out its own comprehensive auditing, involving both remote and on-site audits in conjunction with the Government Internal Audit Agency. This is designed to ensure that the data requested is used only in accordance with strict contractual terms. Failure to comply can result in suspension of the parking company's ability to request vehicle keeper dataFollowing its most recent audit of the DVLA’s procedures for releasing data to private parking companies, the Information Commissioner’s Office found that there was a high level of assurance that processes were in place to MANAGE non-compliance with data protection requirements. The audit was published on 1 June 2016, and can be found at https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/audits-advisory-visits-and-overview-reports/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency-dvla/

Parking: Private Sector

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what procedures the DVLA has put in place for the assessment of applications by private parking companies for access to the personal details of vehicle owners.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides information manually and via an electronic process. Before releasing vehicle keeper data through the manual process, the DVLA requires private parking companies to provide their full company registration details. These include the company’s registered address, Companies House registration number, Data Protection registration and Accredited Trade Association membership details. Companies must declare why they need the data and how it will be used. Documentation must also be supplied for each request demonstrating reasonable cause for needing the information. This can include landowner authorisation and evidence of the contravention of car parking terms and conditions. The information provided by the private parking company is thoroughly checked. Any request that fails to include sufficient information is rejected. Private parking companies who wish to request information through electronic links must complete a six month probationary period. As well as supplying the details for the process outlined above, companies are required to make a minimum of 300 manual applications over the period. The DVLA will also liaise with the relevant Accredited Trade Association throughout the process to ensure that the company continues to adhere to the code of practice. Private parking companies who successfully complete the probation period must enter into a contract before being able to request vehicle keeper data electronically.

Home Office

Care Leavers: Immigration

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many care leavers, who were formerly unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have (a) refugee status, (b) humanitarian protection, (c) another form of leave to remain or (d) an outstanding human rights application or appeal.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes figures on the number of asylum claims and decisions related to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children as part of its Immigration Statistics release. The latest version of which can be found at: Immigration statistics, January to March 2017: data tables - GOV.UK

Human Trafficking: EEA Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the prevention of trafficking of EEA nationals.

Brandon Lewis: The UK continues to work with EU partners to tackle modern slavery and already has well-established rights and protections for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including through the National Referral Mechanism and the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

High Rise Flats: Natural Gas

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether gas pipes in high-rise blocks similar to Grenfell Tower are routinely checked for safety during the process of installing smart meters.

Richard Harrington: Safety is the primary concern of the smart metering programme. Energy suppliers are responsible for installing smart meters and are required to comply with a number of regulations and other requirements that relate to the safety of installations and appliances. These include the Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Regulations (1998), the Meter Asset Managers’ Code of Practice (MAMCoP) and the Meter Operators Code of Practice Agreement (MOCOPA) which set out the roles, responsibilities and expectations of meter installers when safety issues are identified during meter installation visits. The Government have also put in place additional requirements through the Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice (SMICoP) which require energy suppliers to ensure that installers are appropriately trained.Smart metering is also providing an opportunity to detect pre-existing safety issues that would have otherwise taken longer to identify. Gas and Electricity Network Operators have an important role to play in resolving such issues. They are working closely with suppliers to support a safe installation process.

Electricity: Housing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the annual average household electricity consumption was in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland since 2010.

Richard Harrington: The table shows average (mean) annual electricity consumption per domestic meter in the UK, split by country since 2010.Average UK annual domestic electricity consumption (kWh), 2010-15 201020112012201320142015England4,1634,0954,0353,9633,9723,914Wales3,9163,8453,7873,7363,7343,685Scotland4,1484,0593,9693,8523,9183,836Northern Ireland3,9563,7443,9153,9983,775 UK4,1464,0744,0143,9413,952  Figures for Northern Ireland were taken from BEIS’ sub-national domestic electricity consumption statistics in Northern Ireland:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/experimental-sub-national-domestic-electricity-consumption-statistics-for-northern-ireland-2009All other figures were taken from BEIS’ sub-national electricity consumption statistics:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sub-national-electricity-consumption-dataConsumption data for Northern Ireland for 2015 will be published in September 2017, with GB data for 2016 published in December 2017.These figures show consumption per electricity meter rather than per household. These differ slightly as some households have more than one electricity meter while others have less (due to sharing a meter with neighbouring households). Figures on a household basis are available for Great Britain via the second link above, but are unavailable for Northern Ireland or the UK as a whole.Figures for the UK include consumption for households which couldn’t be assigned to a particular country due to incomplete address data.

Social Tariffs: Wrexham

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people in Wrexham constituency who will be covered by the Government's latest proposals to safeguard customers on the poorest value energy tariff.

Margot James: Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. Alongside this Ofgem has announced a package of measures to help consumers move away from poor value tariffs.

Energy: Ogmore

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people in Ogmore constituency whose tariffs will change as a result of the Government's proposals to safeguard customers on the poorest value tariff.

Margot James: Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. Alongside this Ofgem has announced a package of measures to help consumers move away from poor value tariffs.

British Gas: Fees and Charges

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with British Gas on its proposed charge of £60 to switch to another provider.

Margot James: BEIS Ministers have frequent engagement with energy suppliers on a range of issues within the retail energy market. Under the terms of the supply licence, customers on fixed-term tariffs must receive a notice 42-49 days before the end date to inform them the tariff is coming to an end. Suppliers cannot charge a termination fee after this point.

Company Accounts: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has considered the potential merits of ensuring that the value of data is included on balance sheets in company reports made to Companies House.

Margot James: The inclusion of data in company balance sheets is already permitted. The accepted accounting principle is that data purchased by a company can be recognised as an intangible asset on a company’s balance sheet. All other data generated by a company is not permitted to be recognised as its value cannot be verified by auditors.

Mergers and Takeovers: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the recent fine imposed on Facebook by the Italian regulators, what his Department's policy is on the sharing of data by companies following their merger or acquisition.

Margot James: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Digital on 20 July 2017 to Question UIN 5425.

Small Businesses: Cost Effectiveness

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to improve efficiency among small businesses.

Richard Harrington: The Government is committed to ensuring competitive and affordable energy costs for all businesses, including small businesses, and our modern industrial strategy will deliver growth across the country through major investment in infrastructure, skills, and research and development. We will ensure that every small business in the country is offered a smart meter by the end of 2020 enabling them to engage with their energy use, and make savings on the basis of having better information about their consumption. Businesses can also claim capital allowances on energy efficient purchases.

Business: Competition

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to increase access to (a) finance, (b) infrastructure and (c) skills for regional companies to ensure their competitiveness.

Margot James: Our industrial strategy will build an economy that supports growth across the whole country and the competitiveness of UK businesses.The British Business Bank programmes are supporting £3.4bn of finance to over 56K smaller businesses, and £1.8 billion from the Local Growth Fund has been allocated for a new set of Growth Deals between Government and Local Enterprise Partnerships.An increase in central government’s investment in economic infrastructure to £22 billion/year by 2021; more than a 50% increase compared to this year to unlock growth in all parts of the country.We are committed to a strong skills system that can help improve everyone’s earning power and support our businesses to grow. We’ve announced ambitious reforms to our technical education system that will invest over £500m per year, with an additional £170m to create Institutes of Technology in every region to deliver technical skills in STEM subjects. We will also be setting up Skills Advisory Panels that bring together local employers, colleges and universities, and Local Enterprise Partnerships to identify and deliver local skills needs.

Social Tariffs: Delyn

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people in Delyn constituency covered by the Government's proposals to safeguard customers on the poorest value energy tariff.

Margot James: Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. Alongside this Ofgem has announced a package of measures to help consumers move away from poor value tariffs.

Tesco: Booker Group

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's policies of the Competition and Markets Authority decision to hold an inquiry into the takeover of Booker by Tesco.

Margot James: Investigations into takeovers are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority, which are carried out under its statutory powers under the Enterprise Act 2002.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the number of people charged by authorities in Northern Ireland under the Offences Against the Person Act 1981 for purchasing abortion medication for (a) their own use and (b) the use by a third party in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: No estimate has been made as policing and justice is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. Prosecutions are therefore a matter for the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS). The Northern Ireland Office does not hold the data requested.

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff in his Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Chloe Smith: EU Exit affects a number of work areas across the Department and will therefore encompass a proportion of workload for many staff, the amount of which will vary over time. The Department has, however, set up a central EU Exit co-ordinating team, currently comprised of seven staff members.

Administration of Justice: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Written Statement of 17 July 2017, HCWS54, National Security Arrangements in Northern Ireland, what plans he has to streamline judicial processes in Northern Ireland in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.

James Brokenshire: It is important that people can have confidence in the delivery of justice and that the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland is as efficient and effective as possible. The Government supports the commitments set out in the Fresh Start Agreement to speed up justice and support witnesses to give evidence. The Government also notes the Executive’s response to last year’s paramilitary panel report which outlined specific actions to address these points. Much of this work is underway. Clearly, however, justice policy in Northern Ireland remains devolved and this issue underlines the importance of seeing devolved government restored in Northern Ireland. Under devolution, it is rightly for Northern Ireland political representatives to bring forward and deliver the legislation and other measures that are required to ensure the justice system performs most effectively.

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much and what proportion of his Department's expenditure has been identified as relating to its work on the UK leaving the EU in 2017-18.

Chloe Smith: EU Exit affects a number of work areas across the Department and will therefore encompass a proportion of workload for many staff, the amount of which will vary over time. The anticipated expenditure for 2017-18 for staff working solely on Exit issues is £525,000 which is 2.5% of the Department’s total anticipated expenditure.

Northern Ireland Office: European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to consult political representatives in Northern Ireland on the implications of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill for Northern Ireland in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government is working to ensure that stable devolved government can resume in Northern Ireland, not least because it is important that a new Northern Ireland Executive can contribute to the debate on EU exit. Meanwhile, officials in my department have engaged with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive in advance of the Bill’s introduction to Parliament to help determine the scale of changes needed to the statute book across the UK and ensure the Bill works for Northern Ireland. They will continue to do so during the Bill’s passage. If there are any hon Members from Northern Ireland in this House or in the other place who would like to discuss the Bill in more detail, I would be happy to meet them.

Northern Ireland Office: European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to ensure that a legislative consent motion is received from the Northern Ireland Assembly for the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: As there is no Executive in Northern Ireland at this time, a legislative consent motion cannot be sought at this stage. The Government is working hard to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland as soon as possible and is committed to working to ensure Northern Ireland interests are represented in the meantime.

Political Parties: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the timetable for the introduction of legislative proposals to end anonymity of donations to political parties in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The secondary legislation that would introduce transparency is currently the subject of statutory consultation with the Electoral Commission. When this consultation process is complete, I intend to lay the draft Order before Parliament. It is intended that the Commission should be in a position to publish full details of Northern Ireland donations and loans received during the July to September reporting period by the end of this year.

Blood: Contamination

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 11 July 2017, Official Report, column 188, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on establishing a UK-wide public inquiry into contaminated blood; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: As indicated by the contribution of the hon Member for Ludlow on 11 July, we are in close contact with Government colleagues to facilitate discussions with the Northern Ireland Civil Service and with key stakeholders in Northern Ireland on this subject.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Gibraltar: Brexit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has met jointly with representatives of Gibraltar and Spain to discuss the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We have not met jointly. We are committed to full engagement with the Government of Gibraltar through the Joint Ministerial Council (Gibraltar EU Negotiations) which has met three times including most recently on Monday 17 July. We have been clear in our conversations with Spain that Gibraltar is covered by our exit negotiations and we will have full regard for their interests.

Joint Ministerial Committee On EU Negotiations

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) will next meet.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been clear from the start that the devolved administrations should be fully engaged in our preparations to leave the EU. The Secretary of State has had a number of bilateral discussions with the Scottish and Welsh Governments as we have moved into the negotiation phase and we are committed to positive and productive engagement going forward. In the absence of an Executive, we have also engaged at an official level with the Northern Ireland Civil Service.Over the summer, we anticipate there will be regular and sustained bilateral discussions with officials from the devolved administrations, reporting back to Ministers at regular intervals to ensure sufficient progress is being made. There is also a place for multilateral meetings, and we will take that forward as and when it is appropriate.

Immigration: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Government's publication Safeguarding the Position of EU Citizens Living in the UK and UK Nationals Living in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, what steps he plans to take during negotiations of the UK leaving the EU to ensure that the UK retains a role in maintaining the rights of UK nationals in the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As set out in the policy paper “Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU,” our first priority is to reach agreement on the post-exit position of EU citizens now living in the UK and of UK nationals living in other EU countries. Our aim is to ensure that EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU can broadly live their lives as they do now. We will discuss in negotiations with the EU how to ensure that UK nationals in the EU will be able to rely on the rights agreed, just as EU nationals will be able to rely on those rights in the UK legal system.

EU Institutions

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many EU agencies of which the UK is a member the Government plans to replace with national or other agencies after the UK leaves the EU; and whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of setting up those new agencies.

Mr Robin Walker: Our relationship with the EU's agencies upon exit will be evaluated in light of delivering the twelve objectives outlined by the Prime Minister to achieve a deep and special partnership between the UK and the EU. No decisions have yet been made on our future relationship with the EU's decentralised bodies after leaving the EU.Prior to any decisions on establishing new agencies, the Government will, however, always look to minimise disruption and costs, which will include considering alternative options.The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill makes clear that any decision on creating new agencies would require the approval of both Houses of Parliament under the affirmative procedure.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect on the (a) funding and (b) staffing of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the EU is working closely with every department to build a detailed understanding of how withdrawal will affect domestic policies and to ensure that departments are prepared for all possible negotiating outcomes. All departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal for the UK. As an arm's length body of the Department of Health and the National Competent Authority for the UK in the field of human and veterinary medicine, MHRA funding and staffing concerns are being considered as part of the domestic planning for withdrawal.

Department for Education

Vocational Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the readiness of further education colleges to offer T-levels.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has already facilitated area reviews of post 16 education and training, establishing the best structures to offer high quality provision to meet the current and future needs of all learners and employers within the local areas.We have begun working with key partners, including the Education and Training Foundation, the Gatsby Foundation, the Association of Colleges and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, to understand the support the further education sector needs to implement the new T levels. The Secretary of State for Education last week announced a package of support for colleges, including a Strategic College Improvement Fund, a National Leaders of Further Education programme, and an expanded role for the FE Commissioner in supporting colleges to raise standards. We will continue to work with the sector to consider what further action we can put in place to ensure successful delivery of T levels.

Vocational Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that T-levels achieve parity of esteem with A-levels.

Anne Milton: We are confident that these reforms to the skills system will restore the reputation of technical education and make it an attractive and high-quality option for those 16–19 year olds who do not follow an academic programme, providing them with the skills they need to access high-quality, fulfilling careers. Evidence from other countries shows that technical education is highly sought-after where the system is clearly understood and is led by employers. For this reason, we have accepted the recommendations of Lord Sainsbury’s Independent Panel on Technical Education that the current confusing patchwork of thousands of qualifications of variable quality should be replaced with fifteen high-quality routes to skilled employment, with qualifications within these routes based on standards set by experienced panels of professionals drawn from their respective fields. The Post-16 Skills Plan (Cm 9280), published on 8 July 2016 and deposited in the libraries of both Houses, sets out how we intend to do this, creating a world-class technical education system to deliver the skilled workers that our economy needs.

Vocational Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether T-levels will replace existing vocational qualifications.

Anne Milton: We would expect the new technical education qualifications that form part of T levels to replace some of the existing vocational qualifications that purport to serve the same purpose. Our reforms will replace the sometimes confusing patchwork of thousands of qualifications of variable quality with fifteen routes to skilled employment. The new routes will include far fewer, but consistently better, qualifications. These will be shaped by industry professionals and will provide stretching technical content, delivered to industry standards. We plan to fund the new technical qualifications once they have been approved, and over time we expect to cease funding similar qualifications. We will not withdraw funding for students who are partway through their courses. We are currently working through the detail of our proposals and expect to publish further information in due course.

Vocational Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of potential employment outcomes for T-level students.

Anne Milton: The government-commissioned Report of the independent panel on technical education led by Lord Sainsbury studied what successful Technical Education models are in place in other countries. The Department is currently mapping the occupations to be covered by T levels across 15 occupational routes, which will provide a clear picture of the opportunities available to learners. T levels will equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours they will need to meet the expectations of employers, who will be at the heart of the development of the programmes. This will ensure that T levels which are recognised and valued by industry and make students more employable. Report of the independent panel on technical education Sainsbury ReportPost 16 Skills Plan

Vocational Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for school sixth forms to offer T-levels.

Anne Milton: All Education and Skills Funding Agency funded providers, including school sixth forms, will be able to deliver new T levels, as long as they have the relevant teaching capability and the appropriate capacity to deliver provision to a high standard.

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that local education authorities can hold to account schools that do not comply with statutory guidance on school exclusions.

Nick Gibb: There is a process, set out in the statutory guidance, to ensure that all decisions to exclude are lawful, reasonable and fair.The guidance sets out that parents have the right to make representations about exclusion to the governing board. The governing board can (and in the case of longer or permanent exclusions, must) review the head teacher’s decision and decide if it is lawful, reasonable and fair. Where a governing board upholds a permanent exclusion, parents can also request that the decision is reviewed by an independent review panel, who can recommend or direct a governing board to reconsider their decision.In the case of maintained schools the local authority must be invited to attend the initial review held by the governing board, and allowed to make representations on the board. The local authority must also arrange the independent review panel, where this is applied for by parents, following a permanent exclusion from a maintained school. In the case of an academy school, it is the Academy Trust who arrange the panel.In addition to the local review process, the Secretary of State for Education, has the power to investigate a complaint about exclusion and, in certain circumstances, issue a direction about a decision made by a governing board where this does not comply with the legal duties.

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will take steps to amend school exclusion guidance to include the responsibilities of head teachers, governing bodies and school staff on the reporting of schools that act unlawfully.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not believe it is practical to introduce new reporting requirements on schools excluding unlawfully. However, there are clear duties in place to ensure that all exclusions are lawful, reasonable and fair. This includes a process by which all decisions to exclude can be (and in the case of longer or permanent exclusions, must be) reviewed by the schools’ governing board. For permanent exclusions, parents can also request a review of the decision by an independent review panel, who can direct or recommend that the governing board reconsider their decision.

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to amend school exclusion guidance issued to head teachers and governing bodies to identify which person or body is responsible for ensuring compliance with exclusion legislation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Statutory guidance is clear on the responsibilities for ensuring exclusions are issued in line with them law and statutory guidance. Only the head teacher of a school can make the decision to exclude a pupil and any decision must comply with statutory guidance. There is a process, set out in the statutory guidance, to ensure that decisions are lawful, reasonable and fair. All decisions to exclude can be (and in the case of longer or permanent exclusions, must be) reviewed by the schools’ governing board. For permanent exclusions, parents can also request a review of the decision by an independent review panel, who can direct or recommend that the governing board reconsider their decision.

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of school exclusions have been proved to be unlawful; and how many of those cases involved autistic children.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the Department does not hold the information you have requested on the number of school exclusions that are proven to be unlawful.

Free Schools: Construction

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding she plans to make available for building new free schools in the next three years.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member to the Statement made by my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education on 17 July 2017.

Children: Day Care

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the (a) total number and (b) proportion of families eligible for the offer of 30 hours free childcare who have (i) registered for their place via the Childcare Choices website and (ii) also had their code validated by a childcare provider.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Childcare Choices website provides information on whether parents could be eligible for a range of government childcare offers, including 30 hours free childcare. Parents can apply for Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare through the digital Childcare Service, which is accessible via Childcare Choices. As of 18 July, successful parent applications via the Childcare Service have generated 145,463 valid 30 hours eligibility codes. 48,577 valid codes have been verified by local authorities. The number of eligible children fluctuates by term and by parental employment and we cannot estimate with precision how many children are eligible at any specific time.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's budget for 16-19-year-old education was in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Anne Milton: The department’s budget for spending on 16-19 education in the 2014-15 financial year was £6.2bn; in the 2015-16 financial year it was £6.1bn; and £5.9bn in the 2016-17 financial year. High needs funding is included in these figures but funding for student support is not.

Apprentices: North West

Trudy Harrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Government has made on increasing the number of apprenticeships in the North West.

Anne Milton: There have been 71,290 apprenticeship starts recorded to date (August 2016 to April 2017) in the North West in the 2016 to 2017 academic year. Earlier years’ data for starts by region can be found in the apprenticeships FE data library:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/586183/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xlsx Data for apprenticeship participation by region is also available in the apprenticeships FE data library:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624357/apprenticeships-participation-by-region-and-sector-subject-area.xlsx More detailed geographical data on apprenticeship starts and achievements are available in the apprenticeships FE data library tools: Starts: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624428/apprenticeships-geography-data-tool-starts-v1.xlsm Achievements: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624585/apprenticeships-geography-data-tool-achievements-v1.xlsm

Vocational Education

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what options are available to learners on college-based technical routes who do not have access to structural work placements as a result of the variation of work experience within the sector they are studying.

Anne Milton: In the Post 16 Skills Plan, every young person taking a college-based technical education route (T Level) will be entitled to a substantial work placement when T levels are rolled out.At the Spring Budget, we announced significant funding to boost the sector’s capacity to deliver work placements with the first £50m available from April 2018.We will also be running a series of work placement pilots from September to test different approaches and to see what works across different sectors and employer sizes. These pilots will address any challenges.

Worksop Town Football Academy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2017 to Question 212, for what reasons the Answer does not say how much was paid to West Anglia College in 2015-16 for the Worksop Town FC 16 to 19-year-old football academy; and how much was paid.

Anne Milton: The education provision delivered at Worksop Town academy was delivered via a sub-contracting relationship with the College of West Anglia and under such arrangements, the students were enrolled by, and were the responsibility of, the college. 16 to 19 college funding is calculated using a funding formula based on lagged student numbers, so there is no specific breakdown of how that funding relates to individual students or provision.

Worksop Town Football Academy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment of student disability, finances and other needs were carried out by West Anglia College during the 2015-16 provision of a 16 to 19 football academy with Worksop Town FC; and how many students received financial support as a result of these assessments.

Anne Milton: The department does not hold this information.

Worksop Town Football Academy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) examining bodies and (b) the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the collapse of the Worksop Town FC, 16 to 19 football academy.

Anne Milton: Ministers have not held any such discussions.I have asked officials to meet with the hon. Member to discuss further action in relation to his correspondence on this issue.

Academies: Sports

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent in (a) 2015-16 and 2016-17 on (i) 16 to 19 football academies and (ii) other 16 to 19 sports academies; and how many students received a full qualification from those academies in (A) maths and (B) English.

Anne Milton: The department does not hold the information requested. The department funds sports provision for 16 to 19 year olds in a wide range of schools, colleges and other providers. However, the department does not directly fund any football or other sports academies, but does fund League Football Education and the FA Premier League Limited for delivery of education and training in association with football clubs. Some education and training linked to sporting organisations is also delivered through sub-contracting arrangements with funded institutions. The department publishes annually details of sub-contracting arrangements recorded in relation to 16 to 19 provision – the latest information is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-sub-contracted-students-for-2015-to-2016-academic-year.

Child Rearing

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of fathers on (a) the development of children in the early years and (b) life chances.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Fathers play a fundamental role in their children’s development and future. The recently published study of early education and development (SEED) impact at age 3 report (available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627108/SEED_Impact_at_age_3_Research_Brief.pdf) demonstrated the important role parents play, particularly through the impact of the home learning environment (HLE). These findings are underpinned by findings from the effective pre-school, primary and secondary education (EPPSE) study (available here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/research/featured-research/effective-pre-school-primary-secondary-education-project/publications/#), which showed that the quality of the early HLE impacts on educational attainment through to GCSE and A-Level. The father’s level of educational qualifications specifically is also important for a range of cognitive, social emotional and other outcomes.Early years providers are required, through the early years foundation stage framework (EYFS), to engage with parents and carers on their child’s development at home. Children’s centres, as set out in their core purpose, provide local services to parents to narrow inequalities in parenting aspirations and parenting skills. And in 2017, the department also put in place voluntary and charity sector grants worth almost £1.7m to improve the quality of the HLE for disadvantaged families and improve access to the disadvantaged two year-old offer.

Economic Situation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that the demographic and skills requirements of the economy in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK are met when the UK leaves the EU.

Anne Milton: The UK Government is investing to create a skills system that enables the UK to compete with the best in the world - and can respond to Brexit as well as other labour market challenges.As an example, in England we are introducing technical education reforms, backed by additional funding of £500m each year, to create a world-class post-16 technical education system that will give people the technical skills that employers need. Skills policy is a devolved matter so I am unable to advise on any specific skills strategy in Scotland as that would be for the Scottish Government.

Apprentices: Engineering

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects agreed apprenticeship standards for consultancy in (a) level 6 building services design engineering and (b) level 6 civil engineering design engineering to be published.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects agreed apprenticeship standards related to construction at levels 4 and 6 to be published.

Anne Milton: The Institute for Apprenticeships is an independent body with responsibility for the development and approval of apprenticeship standards. I have therefore asked the Institute to write to the hon. Member directly, responding to your question about the publication of apprenticeship standards in consultancy in level 6 building services design engineering, level 6 civil engineering design engineering and construction at levels 4 and 6. A copy of that response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses when it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Hercules Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned out of service dates are for the RAF's (a) Hercules C1/C3 (K) and (b) Hercules C4/C5 (J) variants; and what plans his Department has to procure a replacement for those aircraft's specialist capability.

Harriett Baldwin: The Hercules C-130K model (CMk 1 and Mk3) retired from service on 31 December 2012.The Hercules C-130J CMk4 are scheduled to retire from RAF service on 31 March 2035. The Hercules C-130J CMk5 has begun an approved drawdown plan, and the final aircraft will leave service in 2019.We are procuring the A400M to assume the roles performed by all variants of the Hercules C-130J aircraft.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for which of his Department's programmes under the Equipment Plan are contracts being procured under the foreign military sales agreement; and what the value is of each of those contracts.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence currently has more than 300 Foreign Military Sales agreements relating to equipment and support, with a total value of just under $12 billion. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Burma: Armed Forces

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Burmese military have visited the UK in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: A total of six Burmese military personnel visited the UK to undertake UK Government funded defence educational training courses in 2016. A further 13 Burmese military personnel have visited the UK to undertake this educational training in the current calendar year up to, and including, 14 July 2017. This defence educational training has been provided by the Defence Academy, part of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has allocated five staff to deal exclusively with work arising from the UK's decision to leave the European Union so far as it affects Defence. These officials draw on the expertise of a wide range of colleagues from across the Ministry of Defence who undertake work relating to the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, in addition to their normal duties.

Military Aircraft

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the flight-hour costs of (a) the F35B, (b) Typhoon and (c) Tornado are; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: I am withholding the information requested as its release would prejudice commercial interests.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Treforest

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the budget is for (a) building, (b) design and (c) cost of the land of his Department's proposed Pensions Hub in Treforest.

Damian Hinds: Costs associated with the DWP estate are not generally published separately due to commercial sensitivities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Advertising

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on advertising on social media in each month since January 2016.

George Eustice: Since January 2016 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spent the following amount on social media: DateSpendFebruary 2017£1149.10March 2017£20.00April 2017£4686.18May 2017£13787.00June 2017£6800.00There was no spend between January 2016 and January 2017.

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency has met HM Revenue and Customs to discuss the business dealings of the landowners of the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with.Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated.

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency has met HM Revenue and Customs to discuss the business dealings of the operators of Rowan Oak Waste site at Shaw Road in Dudley.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with. Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated.

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions the Environment Agency has had with West Midlands Police on (a) the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley and (b) Rowan Oak Waste Services Limited.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with.Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated.

Fisheries: North Sea

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the scientific advice used to inform the development of the North Sea Multi Annual Plan.

George Eustice: Advice used to inform the development of the proposed North Sea multi-annual plan has been published by the European Commission. This can be viewed at:https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations/multi-annual-plan-north-sea-demersal-fisheries_en

White Fish: North Sea

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the stock of cod in the North Sea; and what assessment he has made of the sustainability of that stock.

George Eustice: On June 30th 2017, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) published its latest advice on fishing opportunities in the North Sea and North East Atlantic. The advice for North Sea cod is encouraging. It recommends an increase of 26.5% in Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for cod to 59,888t for 2018, compared with 47,359t in 2017. The biomass has also increased to above the conservation trigger level (MSY Btrigger) for the first time since 1983. The advice that cod stocks can be fished at Maximum Sustainable Yield in 2018 indicates that stocks are increasingly healthier. The latest ICES advice is welcome news for our fishing industry which has contributed significantly to the recovery of cod stocks through various initiatives such as catch quota trial schemes. They have been rewarded with a decision by the Marine Stewardship Council to grant MSC certification for North Sea cod.

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions the Environment Agency has had with (a) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and (b) the Health and Safety Executive on risks posed by the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with.Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated.

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions the Environment Agency has had with Dudley Council on the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with. Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated.

Food: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1825, what financial support he plans to give to companies in the food manufacturing sector to secure jobs in the UK.

George Eustice: Food and drink is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector employing 400 000 people. The success of the industry is crucial to driving growth across the country. We will continue to support the sector through raising the profile and reputation of British food and drink overseas through the Food is GREAT campaign. Defra and DIT are also opening new markets and supporting exports in priority markets such as China, USA and India. We are opening up public procurement to more SMEs and local producers and funding the Food Innovation Network to help the spread of innovation.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cheshire

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proposals his Department plans to bring forward to support Cheshire farmers in preventing the spread of TB; and what support is available for TB-infected farms.

George Eustice: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 July 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The Government is determined to implement all available measures necessary to eradicate this devastating disease as quickly as possible to create resilient and successful dairy and beef industries in Cheshire and elsewhere. That includes providing direct financial support, in the form of compensation for slaughtered cattle and for TB testing costs, as well as professional advice and guidance. There have been TB hotspots in Cheshire and we acted swiftly 2 years ago to introduce 6 monthly TB testing to get on top of the disease, a move supported by industry.We have consulted on extending the 6 monthly testing to other hotspots in the edge area, which could include other parts of Cheshire. All farmers who have livestock compulsory slaughtered receive compensation for the animals they have lost.

George Eustice: The Government is determined to implement all available measures necessary to eradicate this devastating disease as quickly as possible to create resilient and successful dairy and beef industries in Cheshire and elsewhere. That includes providing direct financial support, in the form of compensation for slaughtered cattle and for TB testing costs, as well as professional advice and guidance. There have been TB hotspots in Cheshire and we acted swiftly 2 years ago to introduce 6 monthly TB testing to get on top of the disease, a move supported by industry.We have consulted on extending the 6 monthly testing to other hotspots in the edge area, which could include other parts of Cheshire. All farmers who have livestock compulsory slaughtered receive compensation for the animals they have lost.

Department for Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Natural Gas

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of high-rise towers similar to Grenfell Tower that contain gas pipes supplying all floors.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not hold this information.Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the Department has implemented a Building Safety Programme which includes a checking and testing process for tower blocks. This is explained in more detail in its explanatory note of 30 June at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 3980, whether he will place in the Library copies of those advertisements.

David Mundell: Copies of the digital adverts will not be added to the Library as they have already been published and are freely and easily accessible to the public online.

HM Treasury

Financial Services: Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the merits of bringing the asset management industry into the Financial Conduct Authority's regulatory remit.

Stephen Barclay: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for the prudential and conduction regulation for UK asset managers and UK authorised funds.

EU Budget: Contributions

Mr Peter Bone: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the UK's financial contribution to the EU in 2017-18.

Elizabeth Truss: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produces an independent forecast of both UK gross contributions to the EU and contributions net of EU receipts administered by the UK public sector. The OBR’s latest forecast, at March 2017, puts the UK’s post-rebate gross contribution to the EU across 2017-18 at £15bn. The UK’s receipts administered via government departments are forecast to be £5.1bn. This figure excludes receipts directly administered by the European Commission, for example science funding, which do not form part of the public finance calculations.

Treasury: Consultants

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, and at what cost, his Department contracted consultants to carry out (a) marketing, (b) focus group, (c) polling and (d) other promotional activity relating to his Department's responsibilities in 2016-17.

Andrew Jones: The total marketing spend in 2016/17 was £785,261. This is for invoices paid during the period April 2016 to March 2017. Any spend over £25,000 can be found by following the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/25000-spend

Treasury: Administration

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which administrative functions of his Department are carried out on premises in (a) England and (b) London; and what administration costs were associated with those functions in each of those two areas in 2016-17.

Andrew Jones: The Treasury has two office locations (1Horse Guards Road, London and Norwich). The 2016-17 cost of the administrative functions can be found in the Annual Report and Accounts under operating expenditure, on the Financial Statements, which will be published in due course.

Treasury: Advisory Bodies

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what expert groups his Department set up in 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Her Majesty’s Treasury permanently established the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in January 2017. This expert group which offers advice on the UK’s strategic infrastructure needs was originally set up as an interim group in October 2015. The Chancellor’s statement concerning the establishment of the NIC is available on gov.uk[1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-unveils-infrastructure-body-to-help-build-better-britain-for-everyone

Cabinet Office

Democratic Unionist Party

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure publication of the minutes of meetings of the co-ordination committee to be established in accordance with the confidence and supply deal agreed on 26 June 2017 between the Democratic Unionist Party and the Government; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: The modus operandi of the coordination committee will need to be agreed between the Conservative party and the Democratic Unionist party.

Cabinet Office: Edinburgh

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what forecast he has made of the fit-out and running costs of HMG New Waverley.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the capital costs that will be associated with HMG New Waverley.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost is of lease payments for HMG New Waverley under the recently-signed agreement to lease its premises over the life of that lease.

Caroline Nokes: We do not comment on commercial deals or the costs as the UK Government needs to retain commercial sensitivity and competitive tension in order to secure the best deal for the taxpayer in other locations. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will be the major occupier, taking up around 90 per cent of available space. New Waverley will be a significant part of HMRC’s transformation to become a smaller, more highly-skilled operation fit for the digital age and able to deliver a better and more modern service at lower cost to the taxpayer. It will contribute to overall savings for the taxpayer of more than £300 million up to 2025, and after 2025 deliver annual cost savings of more than £90 million. Alongside the cost savings the programme will deliver value for money through wider benefits; co-locating teams in a large office will enable collaborative working across government, sharing of expertise, promotion and career development without the need to move.

Cabinet Office: Edinburgh

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans that HMG New Waverley will have a public interface.

Caroline Nokes: The requirement for a public interface will be determined by the operational needs of Departments.

Cabinet Office: Edinburgh

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what procurement process was used to decide on New Waverley as the location for a Government hub.

Caroline Nokes: The UK Government was advised by JLL on suitable sites for the Edinburgh Hub and New Waverley was found to be the most suitable, measured against numerous criteria, as well as cost efficiency.

Cabinet Office: Edinburgh

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans that HMG New Waverley will open.

Caroline Nokes: The first teams from HMRC will move into New Waverley from summer 2020.

Cabinet Office: Edinburgh

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Departments he plans will have staff at HMG New Waverley.

Caroline Nokes: With the exception of HMRC, we are not naming departments publicly at this stage to ensure they are able to properly consult and communicate with their staff.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 3603, on public sector: procurement, how many of the 295 certificates were self-certificated.

Caroline Nokes: Information on whether Certificates of Past Performance were self-certificated is not held centrally.

Emergencies: Risk Assessment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when  he plans to publish the next edition of the National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies.

Caroline Nokes: The National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies (NRR) is the public-facing version of the National Risk Assessment (NRA) and provides information about civil emergencies that might affect the UK over the next five years. It is published every two years in line with the NRA review cycle and was last released in 2015. Following the completion of the latest NRA earlier this year and in light of recent events, the NRR has been comprehensively reviewed and updated to ensure that the Government’s assessment of risks reflects current knowledge and understanding. The document will be published in due course.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, to what extent each of the devolved administrations will be included, involved in and consulted on future trade deals.

Mark Garnier: I refer the hon. Member for Arfon to the answer I gave him on 12 July 2017, UIN: 3614.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tickets: Sales

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to implement the power to create an offence of breaching limits on internet and other ticket sales contained in section 106 of the Digital Economy Act 2017.

Matt Hancock: This offence will be enacted by secondary legislation. We will be consulting industry and consumer interests to help inform the drafting of this legislation before giving the European Commission and Member States requisite notice, as the offence falls under the Technical Standards Directive. We will then seek a legislative opportunity to table the regulation which has to be approved by both Houses.

Radio Frequencies: Licensing

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of Ofcom's performance in issuing Wireless Telegraphy Act link licenses.

Matt Hancock: None.

Electronic Surveillance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's policy is on whether a person should be permitted to install spyware or a webcam or any other device capable of capturing data covertly on another person's property or digital device without the user's agreement or without legal sanction in England and Wales.

Matt Hancock: The Information Commissioner's Office's CCTV code of practice provides guidance and advice to CCTV users on how to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. The guidance can be found at https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1542/cctv-code-of-practice.pdf

Public Statues: Politicians

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many statues there are of (a) male and (b) female politicians in Britain.

John Glen: The information requested is not held centrally.

Department of Health

Weston General Hospital

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the decision to close Weston General Hospital's accident and emergency department at night on the long-term staffing of that department.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional resources have been allocated to accident and emergency departments in neighbouring hospitals after the decision to close Weston General Hospital's accident and emergency department at night.

Mr Philip Dunne: Since the Trust Board’s decision temporarily to close Weston General Hospital’s accident and emergency department at night, North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) have invested in additional staff shifts in their emergency departments and medical assessment units, and UHB has increased bed numbers. Additional community resources have also been made available in north Somerset to support people in their own homes. Before the temporary closure, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Sustainability and Transformation Plan put in place a comprehensive set of actions to mitigate the impact. These included agreeing a bespoke policy whereby patients who are expected to stay in hospital for more than 48 hours are transported back to Weston General Hospital as soon as they are deemed clinically fit enough to travel, in order to reduce the burden on neighbouring hospitals. Weston General Hospital is working with local general practitioners, community services, social care colleagues and neighbouring hospitals to strengthen, redesign and rebuild urgent and emergency care services in north Somerset. This includes exploring alternative staffing models for its emergency department.By consolidating the small number of senior medical staff into daytime hours, the Trust is now able to deliver improved staff training and team building. The aim is that leadership will improve, making its emergency department a more attractive place to work. The Trust has already recruited two new consultants to work in its emergency department since the closure was announced.

NHS Property Services

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2017 to Question 63652, if he will set out the timetable for the establishment of the new NHS property service organisation.

Mr Philip Dunne: Sir Robert Naylor’s review of the National Health Service estate recommended the establishment of a ‘powerful new NHS Property Board’. The Government is giving careful consideration to the Review’s recommendations, including the form and function of an NHS Property Board and the best way to support estates transformation by providing leadership, expertise and delivery support to the NHS and strengthening existing estates capabilities and skills. No timetable has been set out for the development of an NHS Property Board. We have been prioritising action to build capability by enhancing the strategic estates support to help the NHS achieve the clinical transformation set out in the Five Year Forward View. A single, integrated team of Strategic Estates Advisors from NHS Property Services and Community Health Partnerships is providing immediate support to Sustainability and Transformation Plan areas with the development and implementation of their local estates strategies.

Social Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timeframe is for the consultation on social care announced in the Queen's Speech 2017.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the consultation on social care announced in the Queen's Speech will  consider reforming the whole adult social care system, including services for  (a) elderly and (b) working-age disabled people.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that funding will be central to the consultation on social care announced in the Queen's Speech 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government will work with partners at all levels, including those who use services and who work to provide care, to bring forward proposals for public consultation. The Government will consult on options to encourage a wider debate. The consultation will set out options to improve the social care system and to put it on a more secure financial footing, supporting people, families and communities to prepare for old age, and address issues related to the quality of care and variation in practice. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course.

NHS: Vacancies

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve  the matching of newly qualified clinicians to vacancies across the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: Responsibility for staffing levels rests with individual National Health Service trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service, taking into account skill mix, efficiency and the needs of their local population. This Government has undertaken much work to increase the number of trained doctors and nurses to ensure that the NHS can continue to deliver safe, compassionate and effective care well into the future. Over recent months the NHS has seen record numbers of doctors and nurses. Clinician posts are located to meet patient and service demands and, to comply with employment law, competition for such posts is through fair and open competition. Both the Department and Health Education England have been working to ensure pre-qualification training places are distributed fairly across the country to meet future demand for trained clinical staff.

Health Professions: Recruitment

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Transport on the recruitment and retention of health workers and the affordability of housing and transport.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly discusses a range of topics relating to the recruitment and retention of the National Health Service workforce with cabinet colleagues and others. The Government acknowledges the challenges staff have in securing affordable accommodation in some parts of the country so it wants to support health workers and other public services staff by making homes more affordable with steps outlined in the Housing white paper to increase supply. Currently the Government funds a range of home ownership schemes including Help to Buy Equity Loans and Shared Ownership to support key workers to buy a home where they are unable to afford market prices locally. In addition, the Department has been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to understand better the housing need for NHS staff. The need for affordable homes for NHS staff varies across the country, and we are working with the NHS, local authorities, housing associations and other partners to explore opportunities for supporting local solutions, including the option for NHS organisations to use their surplus land to provide staff housing. Many NHS organisations provide season ticket loans for staff who apply for them and NHS terms and conditions of service places a responsibility on employers to reimburse staff travel and subsistence expenses incurred in the performance of their NHS duties.

Department of Health: Staff

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff in his Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: The work of the Department in ensuring a smooth and orderly exit from the European Union is coordinated by a central team within the Global and Public Health Directorate. All affected policy teams within the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the EU on their area. The resources available are kept under constant review and the Department is equipping itself with the resources it needs to get the best deal for the UK.

Cancer: Research

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS is investing in new treatments for rare forms of cancer, as research and technology advance.

Steve Brine: There are established processes for considering and approving new treatments for use in the National Health Service. All unlicensed cancer drug use and the vast majority of specialised cancer surgical procedures are subject to NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning policy development process. The current service specification and clinical commissioning policies can be found on NHS England’s webpage for the Specialised Cancer Surgery Clinical Reference Group.https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/key-docs/

Eating Disorders

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to treat people with eating disorders.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding is available to local clinical commissioning groups to treat people with eating disorders.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what community support is available to assist organisations that help treat people with eating disorders.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government introduced a new waiting time standard for treatment of children and young people with eating disorders, setting an expectation that by 2020, 95% of those referred will start treatment within one week if the case is urgent and four weeks if the case is non-urgent. In July 2015, guidance was published on the service model for community eating disorder services for children, young people and their parents/carers that has been shown to improve outcomes, reduce relapse rates and need for inpatient admission.https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/eating-disorders/The Autumn Statement 2014 included additional funds of £30 million per year over five years to transform services in England for the treatment of children and young people with eating disorders. The planned spend by clinical commissioning groups on children and young people’s eating disorders in 2017/18 is £46,717,000 which includes £30 million in clinical commissioning group baselines.NHS England has commissioned the NHS Benchmarking Network to undertake a data collection exercise looking at both inpatient and community based provision for adult eating disorder services. This exercise will assess levels of investment in and access to such services, while considering the profile and skill mix of the supporting workforce. The exercise will include a mapping of commissioned support from the voluntary sector. Via National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England has also commissioned the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health to develop implementation guidance for an adult eating disorders pathway, building on the recent NICE Guideline published in May 2017 for the recognition and treatment of adult eating disorders. It is intended that this work will be published in spring 2018 and will be fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts by experience.

General Practitioners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to enable patients to visit and see the same doctor at a surgery each time they visit.

Steve Brine: Since 1 April 2015, all general practitioner (GP) practices have been required, under the terms of their contract, to allocate a named, accountable GP to all patients, including children.

Diabetes: Hearing Impairment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has had discussions with clinical bodies on the potential connection between diabetes and hearing loss.

Steve Brine: There have been no recent discussions between the Department and clinical bodies on the potential connection between diabetes and hearing loss.

Babies: Obesity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that large babies are monitored for signs of incipient obesity as they grow older.

Steve Brine: As part of the Healthy Child Programme, all new parents are given a personal child health record 'red book' at the birth of their child. The child’s growth should be measured and plotted using the centile chart in the ‘red book’ which will show early signs that a child’s weight is deviating from a normal trajectory and that they are gaining weight too quickly for their age. This forms part of a holistic clinical assessment and discussion between a health professional and the parent/carer. These practitioners assess family diet and activity patterns and provide individual and family intervention programmes to manage overweight and obesity in infancy and the early years including referral to specialists.

Pregnancy: Sugar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS gives advice to pregnant women on the potential implications of a high level of sugar in their diet when pregnant for their children developing asthma.

Mr Philip Dunne: There is no specific advice given to pregnant women on the potential implications of high a level of sugar in their diet and a link to asthma in children. However, NHS Choices provides advice to pregnant women or those planning a pregnancy on eating healthily during pregnancy. The advice includes information on consumption of sugary foods during pregnancy and suggestions on how to lower intake by finding healthier alternatives. Details of that advice can be found here:http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/healthy-pregnancy-diet.aspxPublic Health England's Start4Life social marketing programme encourages pregnant women to eat a healthy diet. The Start4Life website provides guidance on healthy eating, including directing mothers-to-be to practical tools such as a 28-day plan for boosting fruit and vegetable intake during pregnancy. Start4Life’s Information Service for Parents also provides guidance via email on a healthy diet during pregnancy, and promotes the Healthy Start food vouchers scheme, which enables eligible mothers-to-be to get free fruit, vegetables and vitamins. Start4Life leaflets and posters are used by healthcare professionals to provide information on a healthy diet to pregnant women.

Dementia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dementia patients there have been in each of the last five years by gender and age.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people aged (a) 30 to 40, (b) 41 to 50, (c) 51 to 60 and (d) over 60 have been diagnosed with dementia in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The following table presents the number of people who had a recorded dementia diagnosis by age and gender as at 20 April in the last three years. Before this a breakdown by age and gender is not possible.Recorded dementia diagnoses, by age group and gender, England  30 April 201530 April 201630 April 2017Age group (years)MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale0 to 2926162920292030 to 3964485451505740 to 4940635739133941134450 to 592,5772,4492,6182,5372,9002,73460+143,775264,969145,361262,382157,549278,102Source: NHS Digital The following table presents the total number of people with a dementia diagnosis in earlier years.Recorded dementia diagnoses, England, 2011/12 to 2014/15Achievement date Count31 March2012293,73831 March 2013318,66931 March 2014344,408Source: NHS Digital

Respiratory System: Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of lung lesions there have been in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: We understand from NHS Digital that there is no diagnostic classification that uniquely identifies lung lesions. There are a wide variety of causes of lung lesions ranging from parasitic infections to exposure to pollution. This information is not held centrally.

Patients: Death

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that NHS trust investigations into patient deaths are of a high standard.

Mr Philip Dunne: Improving patient safety across the National Health Service is a key priority for the Government. We want to continue improving how the NHS investigates and learns from mistakes when things go wrong as we work towards making the NHS one of the safest healthcare systems in the world. We are taking forward a national programme with system partners to support trusts to improve the way they learn from deaths of people in their care. This responds to all the recommendations in the recent report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ‘Learning, candour and accountability: A review of the way NHS trusts review and investigate the deaths of patients in England’. In March, the National Quality Board published ‘National Guidance on Learning from Deaths’. This responded to a key recommendation of the CQC to deliver a national framework for trusts on identifying, reviewing, investigating and learning from deaths of people in their care. We are also requiring individual trusts to publish on a quarterly basis from 2017-18 how many deaths could have been avoided had care been better, and evidence of learning and improvements arising from that information in Quality Accounts from June 2018. The national programme, including support for trust boards to implement the new learning from deaths framework, is about initiating a standardised and robust approach to learning from deaths across the NHS, including investigations into patient deaths. The CQC will also examine trusts’ approach to learning from deaths as part of its new inspection processes. The Government has also established the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) to conduct major safety investigations into the most serious risks for patients. We have announced our intention to publish a Bill in draft later this year to establish the HSIB as a fully independent body to take its work forward and embed a culture of learning within the NHS.

NHS: Standards

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment the Government has made of the level of rates of satisfaction with the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department, NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) access a number of patient experience surveys. Recently published survey results include the Inpatient Experience Survey and the Overall Patient Experience Index (released by the CQC and NHS England in May 2017), and the General Practice Patient Survey (released by NHS England in July 2017). The most recently published Inpatient Survey shows that the majority of patients report that their overall experience was good, with 85% rating their experience as at least 7 out of 10. Latest figures from the General Practice Patient Survey show that 84.8% of patients describe their overall experience as good.

South Tyneside District Hospital

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will protect South Tyneside Hospital from closure or downgrading.

Mr Philip Dunne: Decisions about the configuration of National Health Service services are made locally, following public consultation. If proposals are contested, then they may be referred to the Secretary of State for review. The Department cannot therefore comment on proposals, whether actual or hypothetical, outside of that process.

Medical Records: Disclosure of Information

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that hospitals do not use patients' personal data without their explicit consent.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Data Protection Act 1998 applies to all organisations and when handling personal information, the National Health Service must ensure it is protected and not misused.The Government recently published its response to the National Data Guardian’s Review of Data Security, Consent and Opt-outs and committed to providing a simplified choice of whether data is used beyond direct care, applicable across the health and care system. This will make it easy for individuals to articulate preferences about allowing their data to be used beyond direct care, either by going online or by speaking to their general practitioner.

NHS: European Medicines Agency

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect on the NHS budget of the UK withdrawing from the European Medicines Agency.

Steve Brine: As part of the exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the European Union and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of medicines regulation in the best interests of both the United Kingdom and the EU. While it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations, the Government’s position was clarified in an open letter to The Financial Times, dated 5 July 2017. In that letter we made clear that our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data.

Eating Disorders

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment for adults with eating disorders and (b) what plans he has to introduce waiting time targets for treatment equivalent to those for children with eating disorders.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Within the ‘Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’, a key focus of NHS England’s work over the next five years will be to develop evidence-based treatment pathways across mental health services. A pathway for adults with eating disorders, together with detailed implementation guidance for providers, will be developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence over 2017/18. The pathway will be fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the proposed Green Paper on children's mental health will include proposals for the introduction of waiting time targets across children and young people's specialist mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Conservative manifesto contained a commitment that we will improve Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services so that all children with serious conditions will be seen within an appropriate timeframe. We plan to bring forward proposals in the Green Paper on children’s and young people’s mental health by the end of the year.

Allergies

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that health visitors, midwives, community doctors and nurses are allergy-aware.

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the level of knowledge which doctors are expected to have on allergies; and whether that level of knowledge is tested both at undergraduate and postgraduate level examinations.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not set curricula for the education and training of the health and social care workforce and therefore does not hold the information requested. The standards around the education of healthcare professions are set by the appropriate regulatory body. In the case of doctors this is the General Medical Council (GMC), while the Nursing and Midwifery Council sets the standards for the education of nurses and midwives, including health visitors.The GMC sets the educational standards for all United Kingdom doctors through undergraduate and postgraduate education and training. It ensures that this reflects the needs of patients, medical students and doctors in training, and the healthcare systems across the UK.

Brain Cancer: Medical Equipment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the electric skull cap for the treatment of glioblastoma will be available on the NHS.

Steve Brine: NHS England has a published process for considering and prioritising the introduction of new treatments for Specialised Commissioning services. Treatments for Brain / Central Nervous System cancers are commissioned by Specialised Commissioning and the current service specification and clinical commissioning policies can be found on NHS England’s webpage for the Specialised Cancer Surgery Clinical Reference Group.

Mental Health Services: Further Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans for further education establishments to be part of the (a) CAMHS mental health and school link pilot, (b) mental health first aid training roll-out and (c) randomised control trial assessing the effectiveness of school-based mental health provision.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department for Education inform us that they are finalising their approach to the Child and Adolescent and Mental Health Service and schools link pilot. Further education colleges and sixth form colleges will be able to take part. The Department is committed to offering Mental Health First Aid training to every secondary school by 2019. The Department for Education’s randomised control trials will be focused on secondary-age pupils, but where colleges educate those pupils it would be possible for them to take part.

Vulnerable Adults: Protection

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that lessons are learned from the findings of the serious case review by Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board into the death of Tom, published in June 2017.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons were for the time taken to publish in 2017 the serious case review by Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board on The death of Tom which was completed in June 2016.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken against those responsible for the failures of care set out in the serious case review published by Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board in June 2016, on The death of Tom.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to protecting those at risk of abuse and neglect. We want to see a focused and effective safeguarding system, where harm or risk of harm is identified, acted upon effectively and ultimately prevented. This is a distressing case and we hope lessons will be learnt by all the agencies involved. As regards ensuring that lessons are learned, the Care Act 2014 requires Safeguarding Adults Boards (SAB) to publish an annual report on what it has done to act on the findings of the completed Safeguarding Adult Reviews or, where it has decided not to act on a finding, why not. In terms of publication timings, the Care Act does not compel SABs to publish the final reports or summaries. The Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board published the Serious Case Review relating to Tom on their website and their 2016/17 annual report will be available on their website in due course. Finally, the processes to hold any individual or organisation to account include criminal proceedings, disciplinary procedures, employment law and systems of service and professional regulation. All documentation the SAB receives from registered providers which is relevant to the Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s regulatory functions will be given to the CQC.

Vulnerable Adults: Protection

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made in implementing the recommendations of the Third Report of the Health Select Committee, Session 2000-01, Head Injury: Rehabilitation.

Steve Brine: This is a matter for NHS England as the body responsible for commissioning providers of neuro rehabilitation across England. NHS England’s current specification for neuro rehabilitation takes account of research based evidence which shows that: - Rehabilitation in specialist settings for people with traumatic brain or spinal cord injury and stroke is effective and provides value for money in terms of reducing length of stay in hospital and reducing the costs of long-term care;- Early transfer to specialist centres and more intense rehabilitation programmes are cost effective, the latter particularly in the small group of people who have high care costs due to very severe brain injury;- Clinical and cost-benefits are similar for people with severe behavioural problems following brain injury; and- Continued co-ordinated multidisciplinary rehabilitation in the community improves long-term outcomes and can help to reduce hospital re-admissions.  This specification is used within contracts held between NHS England and providers of neuro rehabilitation across England. Each region is responsible for monitoring the performance and quality outcomes of the service provided, as described within the specification.

Life Expectancy

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the future trends in life expectancy.

Steve Brine: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has responsibility for estimating life expectany – both historical trends and future estimates. The Department uses the data that is produced by this source. The ONS produces an `Expectation of Life, Principal Projection, England’ data-set. This provides past and projected expectations of life from the most recent (2014 based) life table. Life tables describe the course of mortality throughout the life cycle. Period and cohort life tables are produced biennially based on assumptions for future mortality from the national population projections and are available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/bulletins/pastandprojecteddatafromtheperiodandcohortlifetables/2014baseduk1981to2064Life expectancy is higher now than it has ever been for both men and women, and is generally increasing in most areas – including deprived ones.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Information Commissioner on the trial of a new app using patient data at the Royal Free Hospital, what the implications of the recommendations and conclusions of that report are for his Department's policies on the use of patient data and NHS contracts with private firms.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have published the Government’s response to the National Data Guardian’s review of data security, consent and opt-outs and the Care Quality Commission’s review ‘Safe data, safe care’. This provides information to the National Health Service and adult social care on sharing data in lawful, safe and secure ways. The forthcoming Data Protection Bill will consider appropriate safeguards for the use of new technologies to process personal data.

NHS: Data Protection

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue revised guidance on compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 to trusts and foundation trusts following the report of July 2017 by the Information Commissioner on the Royal Free Hospital.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are working closely with colleagues in the National Health Service and regulators to clarify the regulatory framework, and provide examples of good practice to trusts, foundation trusts and companies. This will be published in the autumn.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Admissions

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who went to accident and emergency after being unable to make an appointment with their GP in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The proportion of patients who have attended accident and emergency departments because they have been unable to get a timely appointment with their general practitioner (GP) is not held centrally. Of patients who responded to the latest GP Patient Survey published in July 2017, 18.9% said they were either not able to get an appointment or that the appointment they were offered was not convenient. Of these patients, 4.7% went to accident and emergency instead. The Government is committed to improving access to GP services. By 2020, everyone will be able to access routine GP appointments at evenings and weekends. 17 million patients have already benefitted from extended access to GP appointments at evenings and weekends through the GP Access Fund.

Social Services

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish details of the scope of the planned consultation on social care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course. The Government is committed to listening to people’s views on how to reform the social care system, to ensure it is sustainable for current and future generations and that the quality of care improves. Further information on this will be made available shortly.

Diseases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidences of (a) rickets, (b) scabies and (c) tuberculosis there were in each year for which data is available.

Steve Brine: The information requested is in the table below, which shows a count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis for rickets, scabies and tuberculosis in England from 2006-07 to 2015-16.YearScabiesRicketsTuberculosis2006-07209914,3712007-08189834,3662008-09192954,5462009-10157664,0962010-11145664,4172011-12148744,3522012-13141654,1362013-14141393,7402014-15139503,0132015-16118482,912Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital

Mental Health Services: Schools

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on including proposals for the better integration of child and adolescent mental health services with schools, in the proposed Green Paper on children and young people's mental health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is working very closely with the Department for Education in drawing up the Green Paper for children’s and young people’s mental health. We expect to publish the paper before the end of the year.

Mental Illness: Unemployed People

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of unemployed people diagnosed with (a) anxiety and (b) depression in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not published in the format requested. Anxiety and depression diagnoses are not broken down by occupation.

Social Services

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to consult with (a) disabled people, (b) carers and (c) social care providers during the planned consultation on social care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. The Government wants to hear a range of views from members of the public, representative groups, commissioners, providers, those using services and carers as its shapes its thinking. This is why we have set out our intention to consult and will set out more detail shortly.

Women and Equalities

Public Sector: Equal Pay

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government plans to take to address the gender pay gap in the public sector.

Anne Milton: The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 came into force on 31 March 2017 and requires specified employers in the public sector to publish their gender pay gap data by 30 March 2018. These regulations work alongside those regulations that apply to employers in the private and voluntary sectors, ensuring that large employers from all sectors will need to publish their data on an annual basis.The Department for Education was the first Government Department to publish its gender pay gap. The Department is committed to reducing its pay gap and has introduced a range of initiatives to support women in the workplace. More broadly, recently published data from the Office of National Statistics shows that the gender pay gap across the Civil Service has fallen from 13.6% in 2016 to 12.7% in 2017.We are talking to employers in the public sector to encourage early reporting and to take action to close any gender pay differences identified.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effect on funding for other public services planned spending by the Government on providing NHS-funded abortions in England for women resident in Northern Ireland.

Anne Milton: The Government Equalities Office will be providing up to £1 million additional funding to cover this cost. This is new money made available from the Treasury. It will not come out of current departmental budgets. There will be no impact on public services planned spending.